Laura Gibbs of Cranes Roost

Women’s History Month

Post #1 Friday March 1, 2019

Laura Jane (Delano) Gibbs (1837-1925) of Cranes Roost

Cranes Roost is today a popular Altamonte Springs park, but neither the lake nor park land were part of the original 19^th century town of Altamonte, a city renamed later as Altamonte Springs. A history marker on the park’s path attempts to provide a glimpse into how the Seminole County community of Altamonte Springs came to be, but missing from the version of history offered is a key figure in the story of this region, the original homesteader, a 19^th century woman who played a vital role during the earliest days of both Altamont and its sister city, Altamonte Springs.

1890 Crane Roost Lake (left above) and Lake Adelaide at far right.

Laura Jane (Delano) Gibbs owned 158 acres as of 1877, land that included the western half of present day Cranes Roost Lake. Back then, there was no Altamonte or Altamonte Springs off to the east, but there was an Altamont Post Office about a mile north of the lake where Laura Gibbs established “Gibbs Homestead.” The Altamont post office had opened December 30, 1874 on Dr. Washington Kilmer’s homestead.

  

The Laura Gibbs Homestead was known as “Gibbs Grove” in 1877, long before “Boston Capitalists,” as the park’s historical marker tells us, “chartered Altamonte Land, Hotel and Navigation Company in 1882.” On the 1890 map above, ‘Hotel’ calls out the site, in the lower right corner, of the historic Altamonte Hotel. Built by those “Boston Capitalist” in 1882, the hotel overlooked two lakes, Adelaide shown above (north) the ‘Hotel’, and Lake Orienta at left or west of the Hotel.

The Altamonte area had become a popular resort area by the 1880s, but Laura J. Gibbs had by that time been a landowner for years.

1877 Nov 7: “Property known as the Gibbs Grove, situated in Altamont”

Laura and her “Gibbs Grove” did indeed precede the “Boston Capitalists of 1882,” and there’s ample reason to suggest she played a lead role in attempting to develop the area. A resident of Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Laura J. Gibbs, on the 7^th day of November, 1877, sold ten of her 158 acres. The deed given to the buyer, part of which is shown above, described the property as: “Gibbs Grove, situated in Altamont, Orange County, Florida.”

Laura was subdividing her land so as to sell lots nearly three years before owners of the Boston Herald newspaper decided to finance Orange County’s first railroad. Her first lot sale was made to three investors from Bangor, Maine. Yet another small parcel was sold to a gentleman from New Brunswick, Canada in 1880.

Born at Baltimore, Maryland on the 11^th of November, 1836, Laura Jane Delano was the fourth child of Henry D. Delano (1798-1888), a “Master Mariner,” and his second wife, Laura (Allen) Delano (1803-1886). Laura Jane was raised not far from Plymouth Rock, and married at age 20, to another Massachusetts native, Oliver C. Gibbs.

By 1870, Oliver & Laura Gibbs were living at Newton, MA, outside Boston, where Oliver was a self-employed merchant. Oliver continued as a merchant until his death, March 14, 1875, a pivotal time in the history of Altamonte Springs. Over the summer of 1875, three individuals were appointed by the Judge of Probate to appraise the estate of Oliver C. Gibbs. The three selected were Josiah B. Chase; Stiles Frost; and the older brother of Stiles, George Frost.

Laura J. Gibbs had been a widow two years when she sold her first parcel in November of 1877. She employed George E. Wilson of Altamonte to handle local sales while she remained back home at Newton, Massachusetts. George Wilson, Canadian by birth, ran a general store at Altamonte that had been established by his deceased father.

‘Merchant’ seems to be one thing shared by the men in Laura’s life during the 1870s. Her deceased husband had been a merchant, as were the Frost brothers, two of three chosen appraisers of Oliver Gibbs’ estate. Her Florida land agent was also a merchant. At least one of the three Gibbs’ estate appraisers, so it appears, learned a thing or two about Florida land as well.

George Frost of Newton, MA, by 1883, was dealing in Orange County acreage in close proximity to the Gibbs Grove. The parcel he sold was to the Altamonte Land, Hotel & Navigation Company.

George E. Wilson, in addition to running a general store and selling Gibbs Grove lots as an agent for Laura Jane Gibbs, also bought and sold parcels in the early 1880s in and around Altamonte Land, Hotel & Navigation. George Wilson even served a stint in 1883 as Postmaster of the Snowville Post Office, which became Altamonte Post Office on December 2, 1884. Wilson even sold a parcel to George Frost, land adjacent to Snow’s Station depot, where Altamonte Station is today.

George Frost and George Wilson were each buying and selling acreage at the 1880s land development project known today as the City of Altamonte Springs.

Seven years prior, both Frost and Wilson had been employed by Laura Jane (Delano) Gibbs, of Newton, MA, homesteader of a lake and land that is today, Cranes Roost Park.

1966 Office Park ‘Now Leasing’ Sign at “Crane’s Roost”

Altamonte Springs was by no means an instant success. The Boston Capitalists were not successful, and the development quickly changed hands. Among new investors in the old project was a familiar face, George Frost. He tried reviving Altamonte, but crop failures during the Great Freeze of 1894-95 devastated central Florida. Developers in 1925 once again attempted to revive the failed 1880s Altamonte, only this time under a new name; ‘Sanlando: The Suburb Beautiful.’ Florida’s land bust, the stock market crash, and the Great Depression doomed Altamonte once again.  

That same year a plat of “Sanlando: The Suburb Beautiful” was recorded, Laura Jean (Delano) Gibbs died at Newton, MA. A remarkable lady who had established Gibbs Grove on the banks of Cranes Roost Lake nearly 50 years earlier, by then already a long-forgotten central Florida frontierswoman, died August 12, 1925 at the age of 89.

The 1930 census counted 73 families as residents of the City of Altamonte Springs.

Today, a much larger Altamonte Springs is a vibrant community having only traces of a history dating to the 19^th century. Boston Avenue dates to 1880s Altamonte Springs, but runs south today off SR 436, rather than the original named road, Massachusetts. A few original street names exist, but what hasn’t changed since the earliest days of this place called Altamonte are the lake names. Lakes Adelaide; Cranes Roost; Florida; Orienta and yes, even Prairie Lake, all were named bodies of water in the 19^th century.

Prairie Lake? Well, it was named by none other than George Frost of Newton, MA.

Now then, about that name, CRANES ROOST. A billboard photo shown earlier depicts a majestic Crane bird flying in for a landing on Lake Cranes Roost, but was Cranes Roost named for the bird? Laura J. Gibbs 1877 land sale of ten (10), as mentioned, was to three gentlemen from Bangor, Maine.

The three men from Maine were: Charles F. Bragg, Henry A. Williams, and Franklin W. Crain. An 1882 document spells the name of the third man as Franklin W. Crane. Henry Williams sold his interest to the other two, and 1890 land documents show that Bragg & Cram owned the land. A consistent fact about researching central Florida’s fascinating history is this, anytime you resolve one mystery, you will likely uncover another!  

ORLANDO LAKES: Homesteaders & Namesakes, is an encyclopedia of 303 historic central Florida lakes and my latest book on central Florida history. From Eustis to Kissimmee, all roads long ago led to Orlando, and so hence my title, Orlando Lakes!

Now available at Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and Amazon.com. I invite you to check out ORLANDO LAKES: Homesteaders & Namesakes. You can do so simply by clicking on the convenient link below:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=orlando+lakes+homesteaders+%26+namesakes&crid=20A2UMNWOH7VM&sprefix=Orlando+Lakes+%2Caps%2C181&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_14

NEXT FRIDAY: The Extraordinary Sarah of Fort Reid

CitrusLANDFL is celebrating central Florida’s amazing women during

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

Want to know more?

CitrusLAND: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains

  

The Amazing Women of Lakes Lurna & Pineloch

Obscured by a wall of commercial buildings lining the east side of South Orange Avenue is LAKE LURNA, a serene body of water unseen by most who travel this way. The lake’s peculiar name is as mystifying today as the remarkable lady who purchased the acreage fronting three sides of the same lake the year it was christened “LURNA.” A resident of Alexandria, Virginia, Martha J. T. Burke bought the land in 1884. Her husband, John W. Burke, recorded the plat of Lake LURNA that same year.

Lake LURNA was the second Orlando subdivision recorded by “John W. Burke,” the first being 80 acres bordering the west side of 80 acres owned by Francis W. Eppes, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson. The Eppes homestead fronted LAKE PINELOCH, whereas the Burke parcel fronted LAKE JENNIE JEWEL on the south, and present day Pineloch Avenue to the north. Neither Eppes nor Burke purchased their 80 acre lots. Each received deeds to their land through an estate. The grandson of President Thomas Jefferson received his parcel from William M. Randolph. Martha Jefferson (Trist) Burke received her parcel from her deceased parents, Nicholas P. Trist, the former private secretary to President Jefferson and beloved husband of Virginia Jefferson (Randolph).

The plot as they say, thickens! The intrigue however did not begin or end with these two landowners. All 160 acres had previously been owned by a fascinating lady who had begun her life in South Carolina. Her father however had begun his life near Monticello, the Virginia home of President Jefferson. And after the death of Francis W. Eppes, the house he had built on Lake Pineloch was purchased by the bride of a retired Secretary of Navy – both prior residents of Washington, DC.

The Amazing Women of Lakes LURNA & PINELOCH will conclude a 4 Part series presented free of charge to attendees of Pine Castle Pioneer Days, by historian Richard Lee Cronin. Come sit a spell at the Pine Castle Historical Society ‘HISTORY TENT’ on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2 PM. Allow 45 minutes for the presentation and question-answer period, and then share your family memories and/or photos with members of the Central Florida Genealogical Society who will be on site.

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/770691179966824/

Be sure and check out each ‘Top of the Hour: Under the Tent’ presentation of both Saturday & Sunday, offering a different central Florida history topic by a variety of history enthusiasts from 11AM to 3 PM both days.

Note: Lake JENNIE JEWEL is profiled on pages 155-156; Lake LURNA pages 188-189; and Lake PINELOCH pages 237-238 of: ‘Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes’, an Encyclopedia of 303 historic central Florida lakes, by Richard Lee Cronin (Copyright 2019).

VISIT www.CroninBooks.com for more on the fascinating history of central Florida

ORLANDO LAKES: Homesteaders & Namesakes

Central Florida's lakes have been inviting the world to live, work and play in a land of sunshine for nearly two centuries. Its hundreds of glistening lakes have influenced where residents choose to live, vacationers where to lodge, and even the pathways of meandering roadways required to transport the areas residents and visitors. As a matter of convenience, or at times to establish a memorial, brave pioneers named these waterways. Three hundred lake were named during the 19^th century alone, and of those, the origins of many had been lost to history.

Who named Orlando's Lake Eola?

The mission of Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes was to provide a different slant on the fascinating story of central Florida's founding, and adding how lakes were named.

Who named Altamonte's Lake Orienta?

From Lakes George in the north to Tohopekaliga in the south, Poinsett in the east to Harris in the west, and all points between, each of the 303 historic lakes profiled in Orlando Lakes share one thing in common. Eustis, Mt. Dora and Tavares started out as Orange County communities. The same is true of Sanford, Altamonte and Kissimmee. Each began by recording deeds and plats with the Orange County Clerk of Court at Orlando. Hence my book's title, Orlando Lakes!

What was the significance of Ten Mile Lake?

Who named Winter Park's Lake Virginia? 

America’s Paradise became central Florida’s catchphrase of the 1880s, a time during which the wealthiest of Capitalists partnered with the bravest of Orange County pioneers, those remarkable homesteaders who first took on the task of taming one very large wilderness. These early visionaries constructed railroads, planted tens of thousands of citrus trees, and then set out to subdivide their homesteads into nearly 200 brand new towns. Many are ghost towns today, but most of the lakes these once-upon-a-time towns platted and built around have survived the ages.

What's with Mt Dora's Lake Saunders?

The pioneers and planners of yesteryear have long since perished, yet many of the names they chose for central Florida lakes became permanent fixtures in a modern day metropolis. Each lake has been an eye-witness to history, of a family history - and a community’s history.

Resolving the mystery of Kissimmee's Lake Conlin!

Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes includes an alphabetical index reuniting 450 family surnames with the lakes their ancestors named so very long ago. 

I am pleased to announce that Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes is now available online at Amazon, and the handy link below can be used to buy a copy now. 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Orlando+Lakes+Homesteaders+%26+namesakes

How is Lake Lurna linked to America's extraordinary history?

Orlando Lakes: Homesteaders & Namesakes, a new slant on the amazing history of central Florida.

50 STATES OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, the FINALE: AK & HI

Summer Blog Part 18: The FINALE

Summer is fast drawing to a close, and so too is our CitrusLANDFL Summer Blog Series. 

Each Sunday throughout the past 17 weeks we have been featuring 19^th century pioneers from all across this great land who had played a role in a developing 19^th century Florida Paradise. Dreamers and doers, these individuals selected parcels in a wide swath of a Citrus Belt that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. A courageous bunch of guys and gals, these amazing individuals came to Florida from parts of every modern day State as well.

This week, we conclude our series shining the spotlight on Alaska, State #49, admitted January 8, 1959; and Hawaii, State #50, admitted on August 21, 1959.

ALASKA

“The Speer and BECK grove, and twenty other great ten, twenty, hundred acre parks of bearing orange trees. To see these in their beauty one must take a buggy and follow the picturesque old Fort Mellon Road, among the groves and gardens of a prior generation.” The description you just read is of MELLONVILLE and FORT REID, two Ghost TowNs today, but up and coming 19^th century cities between 1850 and 18800. The description of this “prior generation” appeared in an 1887 travelogue published by the South Florida Railroad Company.

Citrus had become Central Florida’s catalyst for development. Groves were believed to be the pathway to accumulating wealth. Claiming a share of that wealth was simple in the 19^th century, make your way to Florida and file a homestead claim. CitrusLAND had its share of home grown visionaries as well, one in particular being a Floridian named Charles H. BECK of Fort REID. He owned the “BECK grove” first mentioned above.

A pre-Sanford resident, Charles married Nancy (GALLOWAY) WOODRUFF, the Widow of William W. WOODRUFF, a prominent Fort Reid resident who had come to central Florida in the 1850s. Charles H. Beck raised three Woodruff children, and fathered two sons of his own with Nancy.

Mrs. Nannie Woodruff married Charles H. Beck at Fort Reid, FL

The Beck’s continued enjoying America’s Paradise until two back to back freezes swept south in the winter of 1894-95. Historian William F. Blackman, in his 1927 History of Orange County, described residents of 1895 as: “disheartened, apparently bankrupt and helpless.” Tens of thousands of trees had been “killed to the ground,” and many of the citrus growers lost everything, and in some cases, one report had stated, “they left tables set and beds unmade, and went away.” Desperate times required desperate measures, and so Charles H. BECK came up with a plan.

As CitrusLAND dreams turned to frozen nightmares, in the faraway northwest, another fantasy of great wealth was just beginning to stir. ALASKA’S Gold Rush had begun in 1896, the year after Florida’s killer freeze. Floridian BECK came up with an idea to resolve his financial dilemma – he’d strike it rich by finding Alaska gold.

Charles H. BECK left his family at Fort Reid and set out for Skagway, Alaska, gateway to the Klondike. At Skagway, gold seekers then needed only to climb the CHILKOOT Mountain Pass to reach Canada and the Klondike, a task much easier said than done.

Heavy March and April 1898 snows had made Chilkoot Pass even more dangerous than usual. But the gold seekers drive to find gold outweighed concern, and an endless procession of prospectors climbed the treacherous pass anyway.

Charles H. Beck grave marker, Dyer AK

Charles H. Beck and other prospectors were attempting to make the difficult climb up Chilkoot Mountain on Palm Sunday, 1898, but an avalanche suddenly brought their journey to an abrupt end. Charles H. Beck of Fort Reid died in an historic PALM SUNDAY Avalanche. Beck was buried at DYEA, ALASKA cemetery, in a territory later to be admitted as the 49^th State in our Union of States.

True-life pioneer Charles H. Beck is featured in my Historical Novel, The Rutland Mule Matter, based on a little-known, real-life central Florida Civil War event,

As Charles H. BECK was making his way toward ALASKA, a debate was underway at our Nation’s Capital. Politicians were at odds concerning the future status of a group of Pacific Islands. Some felt strongly that the islands should become a U. S. Territory, while others argued against such a move. One well-known Attorney - Politician, a New Englander who also had close ties with Orange County, Florida, set the record straight. His words moved Congress, and the rest, as they say, is history. Harry Bingham, a man of remarkable vision, and the 50^th State, concludes our summer of 2018 series.

HAWAII

“It has been objected that the annexation of HAWAII will require us to augment our Navy and to become a strong naval power.” These words were spoken by a New Hampshire Politician and Lawyer in an address to the New Hampshire Bar Association on January 28, 1898. “This objection assumes that if we do not annex HAWAII, we shall not need an augmented navy and will never have occasion to become a strong naval power. Nothing can be further from the truth than this assumption.”

Within the month, February, 1898, the U. S. S. Maine was sunk, and the Spanish American War commenced. The significance of a mid-Pacific fueling station became clear. Despite the objections, Harry Bingham helped make the annexation HAWAII a reality, as the islands became a Territory of the United States in 1898.

Forty-three (43) years after annexation, while HAWAII was still a Territory, on the Day of Infamy, December 7, 1941, our Navy Fleet was attacked at Pearly Harbor.

The USA Territory of Hawaii became our 50^th State on the 21^st day of August, 1959.

But 16 years before Harry Bingham of New Hampshire came out in favor of annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, the prominent Attorney expressed an interest in yet another land far from his New England residence: Orange County, Florida. Harry Bingham partnered with Orlando land agent John G. SINCLAIR, also of New Hampshire, in a 160 acre parcel of land south of present day Winter Garden. A town of Winter Garden however did not yet exist at that time. 

A 538 Page Memorial paid tribute to the Honorable Harry Bingham

Located along the west side of Lake Butler, the partnership of Bingham and Sinclair originated July 27, 1882. One year prior, Capitalist Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia had purchased 4 million acres of wilderness land in what is now Osceola County, a purchase that set off an overabundance of central Florida developments. Bingham was among the earliest of Northerners to invest in West Orange County, Capitalists that very soon included such notable individuals as Charles H. Morse, Franklin Fairbanks, and Francis B. Knowles, three men known too for their role in developing Winter Park and nearby Rollins College.

Bingham also took an interest in South Orange County. Cypress Grove Park, a mile west of Randolph’s Fort Gatlin and that family’s 19^th century family burial ground, was once partially owned by Harry Bingham. Nearly equidistant to this park was the Will Wallace Harney homestead. Although a park today, in 1884 much of the lakeside parcel belonged to Attorney Harry Bingham: “Toward the close of his life,” we learn from the man’s 538 page memorial to Honorable Harry Bingham; “he became interested in orange growing in Florida, where he spent some time in the late winter and early spring for several years, and where he became the owner of considerable real estate, including fine orange groves.” Fourteen years later, Harry Bingham spoke out in favor of annexing the Hawaiian Islands.

Harry Bingham in fact owned thousands of acres in West Orange County, and 80 acres fronting on Lake Jessamine, one mile from the home of Will Wallace Harney and the town named for Harney’s residence, Pine Castle.

Cypress Grove Park west of Historic Fort Gatlin, Orlando, FL

Central Florida was truly an American Melting Pot, especially during the 19^th century. Pioneers arrived from nearly every corner of the earth, and, as our summer of 2018 series has shown, they came as well from places that are today America’s 50 States. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. My central Florida history books are available in the Gift Shop at Winter Garden’s Heritage Foundation in Winter Garden, Florida, or visit my Author Page at Amazon.com by clicking on the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Lee-Cronin/e/B00E78LYU6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1533121698&sr=8-1

Comments and questions always welcome at: Rick@CroninBooks.com

50 STATES OF CENTRAL FLORIDA Part 17: OK, NM & AZ

NEXT WEEK: OUR SUMMER SERIES FINALE

Builders of America’s 19^th century Florida Paradise arrived from nearly every corner of the world. Amazing dreamers and doers, these pioneers selected land locations in a wide swath of a Citrus Belt that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. A courageous bunch of guys and gals, they came to Florida from parts of every modern day State as well.

All 50 States played a role in founding central Florida, and CitrusLAND is paying tribute to the remarkable individuals from around the U. S. each Sunday throughout the summer, doing so in the order States were admitted to our Union of States. This week our spotlight shines on Oklahoma, State #46, admitted November 16, 1907; New Mexico, State #47, admitted January 6, 1912; and Arizona, State #48, admitted on February 14, 1912.

OKLAHOMA

Still a Territory when REED & Harper Furniture Store, based out of Oklahoma City, opened store number three at Ardmore, OK in 1899, partner Fred H. REED, an Ohio native, had previously been a resident of both ALTAMONT and FOREST CITY in 19^th century central Florida.

Fred’s parents, George & Sarah REED, left behind their home at Tontogany, OHIO with their 2 children soon after that city’s catastrophic fire of 1876. A large part of that Ohio town had burned down, including George REED’s mercantile, where then teenager Fred H. REED had worked for his father.

The Reed’s started anew in America’s Paradise: CitrusLAND. The family arrived at Orange County in 1882, before a railroad had reached Dr. Kilmer’s remote community of Altamont, at the present day crossroads of SR 434 and Markham Woods Road. At that time, one had to ride a rough and tumble 3 mile mule-drawn buckboard, traveling with mail bags and an occasional passenger, from Longwood depot on South Florida Railroad’s line.

By 1884, the REED family had relocated again, to FOREST CITY, yet another remote Orange County settlement even further from the nearest depot. Forest City however was a town being developed by a fellow BUCKEYE, Cleveland retailer, John G. Hower.

Father and son George and Fred H. REED opened a store at Forest City, where in 1885, it was said they serve a population of nearly 200. George Reed became the town’s first Postmaster, appointed to that position March 19, 1884. Orange Belt Railway arrived at Forest City in 1886, greatly improving access to a host of new West Orange County towns. But within a year a State-wide Yellow Fever epidemic cut off CitrusLAND from the rest of world, threatening the future of the County’s emerging towns.

Forest City on the Orange Belt Railway is one of the West Orange County Ghost Towns featured in CitrusLAND: Ghost Towns & Phantom Trains

Fred H. REED departed central Florida in the epidemic’s aftermath, but his parents decided to remain at Forest City, until, that is, the Freeze of 1895. With their citrus grove in ruin, the Reed’s too packed their bags, joining their son’s family at Oklahoma City. (Reed’s Forest City grove and residence was described in 1892 as “overlooking a pretty lake,” a body of water known today as PEARL LAKE).

Although most all of our Nation’s 1890 Census Records were destroyed by fire, a small number had been spared, among which was the 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census. Fred H. Reed, age 33, was among those residing on First Street in Oklahoma City, one year after the historic ‘Oklahoma Land Run,’ the homesteading event that opened up Oklahoma Territory to settlements.

The REED family of merchants, having lost an Ohio store to a tragic fire, a CitrusLAND store to a horrible epidemic and following devastating freeze, had finally found success as furniture dealers in the Oklahoma Territory.

NEW MEXICO

“FLORIDA is so hemmed in by the sea that it seems a part of it.” One must look long and hard to find a comment that suggests the Sunshine State’s extensive coastline is a negative, but an 1885 newspaper article did just that. The remark came from a man claiming to be a correspondent for American Field Magazine, a publication today considered as the oldest and most highly respected sports magazine, dating to 1874.

WILLIAM BACKETT was the individual making this negative appraisal of Florida on December 20, 1885, writing under the headline, ‘NEW MEXICO and FLORIDA.’ A self-described naturalist and sportsman, the Backett critique appeared in the Las Vegas Daily Gazette, Las Vegas, New Mexico. At the time, Florida had been a state for 40 years. New Mexico was a territory, and would remain so for another 27 years.

Backett’s BEEF (pardon the pun) is uncertain, although it appears to have been related to the cattle business: “At first glance you would think the pine woods of Florida were full of the most luxuriant grasses capable of sustaining innumerable flocks and herds,” wrote Mr. BACKETT, “and yet cattle will not touch them except for a month or two in the spring.”

Livestock farming had been an integral part of Florida’s early history, but by the 1880’s  

Floridians were growing tired of free ranging herds. As early as November, 1880, Orlando’s Town Council declared it “unlawful for any swine or hogs to run at large upon the streets of Orlando.” But the Mayor, a son of Florida’s Cattle King, Jacob Summerlin, according to historian W. F. Blackman in 1927, “Vetoed the measure.” Lake EOLA had long served as a watering hole for free range cattle.

Backett’s harsh review added: “It is a curious historical fact, which speaks volumes on the point in question, that a century or so ago large cattle were brought into Florida to be raised there. But they dwindled and degenerated in size from generation to generation, until they became the puny race one sees there at present time.”

My search for William Backett had turned up little, so I asked American Field if they could assist. My thanks to American Field’s travel department for searching their files. In those days, I was told, pseudonyms were sometimes used by writers. No record of a Backett could be located. And so the identity of William BACKETT remains a mystery.

  

ARIZONA

Separation of Church and State was not his thing, but as Arizona Territory Chief Justice in 1874, Judge DUNNE had sworn he’d do just that. It wasn’t long before his religious beliefs began to interfere with his job though, so in 1881, the devout Catholic departed Arizona Territory to relocate to central Florida.

The ARIZONA Citizen Newspaper of September 25, 1875: “Honorable Edmund F. DUNNE, Chief Justice of ARIZONA, since his entrance into this Territory, evidenced an irrepressible propensity to enlist as a partisan in every pending religious, political and personal controversy; that he has bitterly assailed the common school system of the whole country as well as our own.” So the Judge did seem to have a problem with separating church and state.

Nominated in 1874, Edmund Francis Dunne was removed from his job as Chief Justice of the Arizona Territory in 1875. “No American citizen,” Dunne said in his address before the Territorial Legislature in February, 1875, “who has any fairness of mind, or sense of right, cannot feel that the system of public schools as now worked in our country is a monstrous wrong to our Catholic population.”

Edmund and his brother John had followed their father west, hoping to strike it rich in the California gold rush. But by 1863, Edmund Dunne had settled at Nevada, where in 1864 he served as a delegate at the State’s Constitution Convention. A family legend says Edmund had, “lost his way in the Arizona desert while prospecting for silver, and that he prayed to his patron saint for rescue, vowing in return to give the name of SAN ANTONIO to the settlement he contemplated establishing in Florida.”

Apparently rescued, Edmund with his brother John found their way to Central Florida, where they began accumulating land throughout Florida, including parcels near present day Sea World. They acquired land at Hamilton DISSTON’S towns of KISSIMMEE and St CLOUD as well.

Edmund’s bought land as well at an 1880 stage coach stop 35 miles north of TAMPA, a settlement he soon founded, and, keeping to his promise, named it SAN ANTONIO.

Edmund donated 40 of his acres for HOLY NAME ACADEMY on Clear Lake, a lake at his town of San Antonio he renamed LAKE JOVITA. A mythical figure today, Saint JOVITA is said to have lived in 120 AD, and along with brother Faustinus, were zealous preachers. Legend explains they were tortured and beheaded because of their religious beliefs – so perhaps Judge Dunne believed he was a modern day JOVITA.

Holy Name Academy, Lake Jovita, San Antonio, Florida

In addition to the Arizona judge, Florida’s citrus belt, Port Richey in particular, caught the eye of a governor from that state as well. A Hernando County farmer named Aaron M. RICHEY homesteaded 80 acres alongside the ex-Governor of Arizona, Anson P. K. SAFFORD. In 1884, RICHEY & SAFFORD laid out a coastal town they named Port RICHEY. That same year, the Steamboat ‘Governor SAFFORD’, owned by Florida Railway & Navigation Company, began hauling freight between Port RICHEY and Cedar Key. In addition to operating a schooner, Aaron Ritchey planted orange trees, and his were said to “as large as many of the trees in other parts of the State.”

Anson P. Safford, Arizona Territorial Governor and Founder of Tarpon Springs, Florida (1882)

After serving as Arizona Governor, Safford had occasionally journeyed to New York and Philadelphia, and while visiting Philadelphia he learned of the 4 million acre Florida land acquisition by Capitalist Hamilton Disston. Safford then came to Florida as a land Agent for Disston.

Next week – Part 18, the finale of our 50 States of Central Florida summer series.

Your central Florida history bookstore: www.CroninBooks.com

Visit my Amazon.com Author Page at link below

https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Lee-Cronin/e/B00E78LYU6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Next week – Part 18, the FINALE: 50 States of Central Florida 

A summer 2018 series by CroninBooks.com

50 STATES OF CENTRAL FLORIDA Part 16: ID, WY & UT

Builders of America’s 19^th century Florida Paradise arrived from nearly every corner of the world. Amazing dreamers and doers, these pioneers selected land locations in a wide swath of a Citrus Belt that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. A courageous bunch of guys and gals, they came to Florida from parts of every modern day State as well.

All 50 States played a role in founding central Florida, and CitrusLAND is paying tribute to the remarkable individuals from around the U. S. each Sunday throughout the summer, doing so in the order States were admitted to our Union of States. This week our spotlight shines on Idaho, State #43, admitted July 3, 1890; Wyoming, State #44, admitted July 10, 1890; and Utah, State #44, admitted on January 4, 1896.

IDAHO

A promise of great wealth from citrus farming in central Florida captivated the nation’s attention as early as 1870, but then a series of setbacks, miner at first, and capped off by Florida’s Great Freeze of 1894-95, brought down the 19^th century dream of America’s Paradise. Florida eventually regained its place as a world renowned destination, but its recovery as a world class destination was to be ever so slow, and financially painful. 

Newer homesteading opportunities, including mining minerals out west, caught the eye of those in search of a place to settle in an ever-expanding United States.

Edwin W. WADDELL, Jr. turned 5 years old the year of Florida’s Great Freeze. His family celebrated their homeland becoming the 43^rd State, and even the dawn of the 20^th century as residents of IDAHO. His parents had been born at Atchison, Kansas, the father one year before Kansas became a State, the mother, two years after. Edwin’s grandfather, Nathaniel Cruikshank CLARK, was a surgeon in the Civil War, and he was then appointed Atchison mail agent.

On the Ocklawaha River, circa 1890

Grandfather Nathaniel Clark came to Florida with the WADDELL family, and settled at Orange Springs, FL. Located on the Ocklawaha River, the settlement of Orange Springs was in Marion County, along a river that served as a transportation corridor during the earliest stages of a developing ‘Great Lake’ region around EUSTIS. Many a new community sprang up in the late 1880s along the river.

After Florida’s devastating freeze, and after burying Grandpa Nathaniel, the Waddell family abandoned 200 acres of hopes and dreams at Orange Springs and returned home, to IDAHO, where Edwin’s father resumed his position as a Merchant. The only remaining evidence today of the Waddell’s presence here in CitrusLAND is a lone grave marker for their family patriarch, “N. C. Clark; Surgeon; the 8^th Kansas Infantry.”

Newspapers had begun touting Idaho’s potential for settlers, pointing out the fact bank deposits had increased significantly – funds largely from mining operations. The town of Burley, IDAHO attracted William Milton DAVIS, who purchased an existing general store there, and changed the name to DAVIS Mercantile. He prospered until the economic crash of the 1920’s, went bust, and then relocated to Florida. Davis bought a small grocery store at Miami, and with the help of his sons, built a chain of stores that eventually became WINN-DIXIE.

WYOMING

After first attempting to transform Florida’s wilderness into a renowned winter resort, CitrusLAND pioneer Oliver E. Chapman ended up assisting kinfolk develop a ranch in a wide open territory that soon became the State of Wyoming.

“Health & Wealth” was Orange County’s mantra during America’s 19^th Century heyday. Its reputation as a healthy environment began as early as 1867, after land agent John A. MacDonald arrived as a sick man. Five years later, Dr. Washington Kilmer walked from Ohio to present day Seminole County after being diagnosed with a terminal disease. Then came Mahlon Gore, arriving in May 1880 with failing health.

All three recovered, and each broadcasted their recovery to a very attentive world. But Oliver E. Chapman was one prominent Central Floridian to abandon his CitrusLAND dream for health concerns.

Oliver and Loring A. CHASE had become Central Floridians in the early 1880s, and each came citing health problems. Childhood friends, the two men also recovered, and then formed a partnership that forever changed central Florida. Partners Chapman & Chase founded WINTER PARK, FLORIDA. Chapman soon abandoned the land partnership due to health concerns.

Winter Park’s first Postmaster in 1882, Oliver E. Chapman sold his interest in Winter Park to return to Massachusetts with his sick wife. Going home however didn’t help his wife. Elizabeth (FOSTER) Chapman, 31 years old and a mother of two, died March 15, 1887 of Tuberculosis.

Oliver E. Chapman, co-founder of Winter Park, FL

Oliver Chapman disappeared off the radar after his wife’s death, but a comment found in the 1927 William F. Blackman History of Orange County that assisted in locating the rest of Oliver E. Chapman’s story. Blackman said Oliver went to WYOMING to be with his brothers.

Anna Ames-Frohlich, great granddaughter of George F. CHAPMAN, Oliver’s younger brother, wrote of the four brothers, including Oliver Everett Chapman, and their accomplishments at Evanston, WYOMING. The Chapman brothers left quite a legacy in Wyoming.

Oliver S. CHAPMAN, father of the Chapman brothers, had been a railroad builder, and served on the first Board of Directors of Union Pacific Railroad. Evanston had become home to a Union Pacific Roundhouse in 1887, and son George F. Chapman settled at Evanston as an employee of the Union Pacific. Then the family got into ranching - in a big way.

Meanwhile, back here at CitrusLAND, Winter Park’s CAPEN Avenue adds a chapter to the Chapman legacy. “Capen Addition to the town of Winter Park was filed in 1885. George Chapman, brother of Oliver, the half-founder of Winter Park, married Eliza CAPEN just prior to relocating his family to Evanston, WYOMING.

UTAH

“The bride,” reported SALT LAKE Herald on the 11^th of November, 1891, “was Miss ELIZA FLETCHER, recently of ORLANDO, Florida.”

As a little girl, Miss Eliza Fletcher, the 1891 Utah bride, had for a time attended church at ALTAMONT (no ‘e’) CHAPEL near where US 434 intersects Interstate 4 today.

Ingram Fletcher, Eliza’s father, had founder Central Florida’s HOOSIER SPRINGS in the late 1870’s. Prior to moving to Florida, Fletcher had been an Indianapolis banker. He built a winter residence for his family on property near the chapel. In fact, Ingram Fletcher donated, November 9, 1877, the acre site for the chapel, gifting the church land to the Methodist Church. Hoosier Springs eventually became part of Altamont (no ‘E’), and then, around 1890, Palm Springs.

Hard times forced Fletcher to abandon his dream for developing Hoosier Springs into a town, so he relocated his family south to ORLANDO. The Fletcher family settled near Lake Lorna Doone, and by 1890, Ingram Fletcher was Orlando’s Postmaster.

How Lake Lorna Doone was named, by Historian E. H. Gore (1951)

Opportunity required Eliza Fletcher to follow her groom-to-be to Salt Lake City, where he, William A. Chapman, went to work as a construction accountant. The couple’s first child, Ingram Fletcher Chapman, grandson of Ingram & Gertrude Fletcher of CitrusLAND, was born at Salt Lake City, in UTAH TERRITORY, on the 26^th day of October, 1894. Two months after little Ingram’s birth Florida was devastated by a great freeze. A year later, January 4, 1896, UTAH celebrated Statehood.

Next week, States 46, 47 and 48, and then, in two weeks, our summer 2018 Series finale.

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